A Sunday Kind of <i> Oeuf</i>

When I was growing up, sausage, peppers and eggs--all fried together--was a favorite Sunday after-church meal. We never called it brunch. Maybe it was before the word was invented.

The sweet sausage meat, lean and flecked with fennel seeds, was first removed from the casings and then fried in olive oil. The peppers--the long, pale-green variety--were added and fried until tender and lightly browned. To finish the dish, a bowl of eggs that had been beaten to a froth was stirred into the mixture. When the eggs were soft-scrambled, the dish was spooned onto a platter and served with thick slices of toasted Italian bread.

I seem to remember the preparation and cooking as vividly as I recall the actual eating.

Each of us had our own way of devouring this favorite dish. My sister liked it sprinkled with grated cheese, usually Pecorino Romano. My dad spooned his serving onto the toasted bread, which looked like he was eating an open-faced hero sandwich. I just ate my serving, plain and simple, by the fork-full.

SAUSAGE, PEPPERS AND SCRAMBLED EGGS 1 pound sweet Italian sausages with fennel, removed from casings, crumbled 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 pound long, sweet, green Italian frying peppers, halved lengthwise, seeded and stemmed 1 garlic clove, crushed 8 large eggs, whisked until frothy 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese

Crumble sausage into large, preferably non-stick skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until sausage loses pink color, about 10 minutes. Drain off excess fat.

Add olive oil and sweet peppers. Stir to coat. Cover and cook 5 minutes or until peppers are tender. Uncover and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until sweet peppers and sausage begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute.

Turn heat to high. Season eggs to taste with salt and pepper. Slowly stir beaten eggs into sausage mixture. Cook, turning eggs with large wooden spoon or plastic spatula so they cook evenly, about 3 minutes. Transfer to platter. Season to taste with cheese. Serve at once. Makes 4 servings.

OVEN-ROASTED POTATOES 2 pounds small boiling potatoes, scrubbed and halved, or quartered if large 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, optional Salt Freshly ground pepper

Place potatoes in 13x9-inch baking pan. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with rosemary, salt and pepper to taste. Toss to coat.

Roast at 400 degrees, turning carefully with spatula as they brown, about 40 minutes, or until browned and tender. Makes 4 servings.

CHERRY TOMATO AND ITALIAN PARSLEY SALAD 1 basket cherry tomatoes, rinsed, stemmed 1/2 bunch parsley leaves, coarsely chopped 1 stalk celery, thinly sliced 1 garlic clove, crushed 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil Salt Freshly ground pepper

Halve tomatoes and place in serving bowl. Add parsley, celery, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Toss salad. Let stand at room temperature until ready to serve. Makes 4 servings.